This publication estimates cereal production, supply and demand, as well as house hold food security in South Sudan. Its recommendations include the strengthening of farmer field schools, and monitoring of food stocks.

An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) conducted an analysis from 7 to 16 December 2020 to estimate the cereal production in South Sudan during 2020, based on a review of data and information collected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS). The Mission also reviewed secondary data from a variety of sources in order to produce an overview of the overall food security situation in the country. Due to COVID-19‑related travel restrictions, the analysis was performed remotely through several video‑conferences with relevant staff of the FAO Office in South Sudan. The CFSAM reviewed the findings of several Crop Assessment Missions conducted at harvest time from August, following the removal of COVID‑19‑related travel restrictions, to December 2020, in different agro‑ecological zones of the country.

The annual FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) was conducted from 7 to 17 December 2021 to estimate the cereal production in South Sudan during 2021 and assess the overall food security situation in the country. The CFSAM reviewed the findings of several crop assessment missions conducted at planting and harvest time from June to December 2021 in different agroecological zones of the country. All missions were carried out by an agricultural task force team that comprised staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoAFS), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the respective State Ministry of Agriculture (SMoA), abiding to health protocols for the protection from the COVID-19 pandemic. Task force team members have been trained during the past years to conduct rapid assessments using established CFSAM instruments, protocols and techniques, including walking transects, scoring standing crops according to the pictorial evaluation tool (PET), yield levels and livestock body condition, performing key informant interviews and farmer case studies.

The annual FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) was conducted from 1 to 16 December 2022 to estimate the cereal production in South Sudan during 2022 and assess the overall food security situation in the country. The CFSAM reviewed the findings of several crop assessment missions conducted at planting and harvest time from June to November 2022 in different agroecological zones of the country. All missions were carried out by a crop assessment Task Force Team comprising staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoAFS), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the respective State Ministry of Agriculture (SMoA). Task Force Team members were trained to conduct rapid assessments using established CFSAM instruments, protocols and techniques, including walking transects, scoring standing crops and livestock body conditions according to the Pictorial Evaluation Tool (PET),ii crop cuttings to assess yields, performing key informant interviews and farmer case studies. After the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan in September 2018, there has been a significant number of returns of displaced farming households, which contributed to the production increases. Therefore, the cessation of all hostilities and the implementation of the agreement is the primary recommendation to progress in terms of agricultural development in order to improve the country’s food security situation. While understanding the complexity of the reconciliation and peace-building process, the recommendations are made assuming that the national peace deal continues to hold, for a better future for the people of South Sudan.

The annual FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) was conducted from 3 to 14 December 2023 to estimate the annual cereal production during 2023 and assess the overall food security situation in the country. [Author] The CFSAM reviewed the findings of 36 crop assessment missions conducted at planting and harvesting time between June and November 2023 in different agroecological zones of the country. [Author] Using standard CFSAM procedures, the Task Force teams reviewed secondary sources of information regarding the main factors that affected crop performance during the 2023 agricultural season, estimated the aggregate national cereal production and assessed the overall food security situation. [Author] Where access in some areas was too dangerous due to high levels of insecurity, telephone interviews with key informants were carried out to obtain information about crop performance. [Author] After the signature of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan in September 2018, there has been a significant number of returns of displaced farming households, which contributed to the production increases. [Author] Therefore, the cessation of all hostilities and the implementation of the agreement is the primary recommendation to ensure and sustain progress in terms of agricultural activities to improve the country’s food security situation. [Author] While recognizing the complexity of the reconciliation and peace‑building process, the following recommendations are made on the basis that the national peace deal continues to hold, for a better future of the people of South Sudan. [Author]